Poll: Should we get rid of Booth Babes?

[Yassen]

I'd like to bring your attention to the latest Penny Arcade comic.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2010/6/14/

This comic showcases the "booth babe" present at most (if not all) gaming conventions and frankly... it's embarassing. We say we want our medium to be taken seriously yet we have things like booth babes that continue to make us out to be the "immature boys club" that I thought we wanted to grow out of.

You could say it's all harmless fun but when you think about it, these women are being treated like prostitutes. They're being paid to stand there and look pretty so us guys can say "Holy shit dude look at this photo of me with a hot chick!"

To me, this needs to end. But I want to know what you think, should we get rid of booth babes once and for all, or am I simply overreacting and this isn't a big deal?

 

[Allan53]

I'd agree with the sentiment, except they have attractive women standing around at car shows and just about every male-dominated (or even male-interested) event for exactly the same purpose.

I'd say they aren't the issue.

 

[WolfThomas]

Heh, I guessed this would be because of the penny arcade comic from the title. I think the issue really depends on how much the women actually do. The indifferent models dressed up as characters standing there awkwardly as geeks ogle them makes me uncomfortable, but if there actually doing stuff, like handing out fliers or telling people about the game, I don't see it as too bad.

 

[Pokenator]

Not that I've spent a whole lot of time interrogating 'booth babes', but a lot of the girls at convention stalls I've talked to in the past are actually just as nerdy as the guys behind there, not just filling a role of being eye-prostituted. Having disproportionately more girls than guys doing the whole 'customer service' thing isn't just limited to conventions, its a fairly global trend. I'm not pointing out reasons behind it, but most likely its because females sell more product than males on average (maybe because they have boobs, maybe because they're actually better salespeople) but I think its not really fair to finger point at any particular group when they're doing the same as just about every other business around.

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

I certainly don't think it's as immature as you're making it out to be. Plenty of other mediums use attractive women for advertising, or just to "stand there and look pretty" as you put it. Turn your TV onto any form of motorsport, for example, and lined up on the starting grid will be a bevy of local models, hired by the racing teams to hold their driver's placard.

The mistake you're making is in thinking that these women are being "treated like prostitutes". They're professional models, with an honest career. I know a couple of lasses who, due to their good looks, have forayed into the world of lingerie modelling. I know for a fact that they aren't being treated like prostitutes - I think you've perhaps confused professional model with glamour model.

 

[Yostbeef]

I think a chick with a giant rack and clothing that leaves little to the imagination complements that poster of Issac Clark dismembering babies very well.

 

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

Fun fact: Booth Babing is an easy way to get quite a decent paycheck for aspiring models. I won't say I care much for Booth Babes (and never have, probably owing to my gender), but I've never really given them much thought either. They are symptomatic of a male-focused hobby in the same way that those umbrella holding girls in Speedway and other motorcycle related sports are. Do they bring something to the convention they at? Probably not, but I've never been to a gaming convention or expo either so I would know.

I could make this post way too long by talking about how booth babes reflect society's view of women in general, but I think that's both pointless and unnecessary. Sufficient to say is, that I honestly don't care. Most booth babes are professional models being hired to do what they usually do, that is to dress up and look nice for long periods of time. Personally, I'd rather be a booth babe then a lingerie model, but that's just me.

As for the impact on how people "look at gamers", I think most people aren't even aware that E3 or similar expos exist. If they barely know what E3 are, chances are they don't know about the existance of booth babes either. It is also worth noting that many other expos have booth babes to varying degrees, so it is more of an expo-thing then a gamer-thing.

 

[likalaruku]

How about we go for a one-year gag? Get a bunch of guys to dress up like booth babes.

I once saw a "It doesn't work this way" thing with a bunch of guys dressed as race queens making sexy poses on a car & it was hilarious.

Before:

After:

 

[Jack and Calumon]

If I ever become a Games Director, and people are still using booth babes, I will hire Booth men.

Yeah... That'll put 'em off.

Calumon: I can't see that going well in marketing. :S

 

[Carlston]

Car shows use them, sport teams have cheerleaders,

thing is even if we are not a immature boys clubs...the dirty old money making men still know a hot chick in a tight outfit is gonna get attention....even more so in a field of high male drawing.

Have we learned nothing? You can even make the worse video game of all time, but long as it's camera is 3rd person on a chicks ass in thight shorts the entire game....Guys loved it. Controls? Who cares... Or have we forgotten about Butt woman...oh Laura Croft?

 

[magicmonkeybars]

you have to have someone to distract you from the terrible presentations some developers and pubishers offer.
Not to mention the disappointments you'll no doubt encounter, kind of sad how we need escapism from our escapism... :|

 

[Trivun]

I don't see why everyone's getting so worked up over them. Most industries have something similar at their own conventions, what about motor shows, for example? But no, when a group like gamers, who have to stay on the fringes to remain relevant to themselves a stupid idea in itself) have them, suddenly everyone thinks it's immature and pandering to the (nonexistent) stereotype of sex-starved teenagers living in their parents' basements. Which is silly.

To sum my point up - booth babes should stay, or else get rid of anything similar at all other industrial expos. hy should it be one rule for them and another for us, eh?

 

[Shepard's Shadow]

I don't have a problem with them at all. They attract people to the booth they are at. If they distract people or make people feel uncomfortable, just politely tell them to go away or leave you alone. It's that simple.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

I don't think we should get rid of them in fact they should probably have booth men as booth will never go awaya nd will always be there as ploys to try get people to their stand.